Vacuum separating-trap.



W. F. GOAKLEY & J. S. LEVENE.

VACU UM SEPARATING TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1913.

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.fiZl/"QI WTFC JSJievezw w I I II I I l I I- 1 .llllluullvlllt v w WUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I. COAKLEY AND JOSIAH S. LEVENE, OF KANSAS GITY, MISSOURI.

VACUUM SEPARATING-TRA'P.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25,1913.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. COAK- LEY and JosIAH S. LEVENE, citizensof the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jacksonand State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Vacuum Separating- Traps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vacuum separating traps, and has for itsobject to produce means whereby liquids of less specific gravity thanwater shall be trapped after flowing with the latter through a floor orcellar drain, and means for recovering the trapped liquid.

With this general object in view, the invention consists in certainnovel and peculiar features of construction and organization ashereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the acompanying drawing, in whichFigure 1, is a central vertical section of a vacuum separating trapembodying our invention. Fig. 2, 1s a top plan view of the same.

As one practical embodiment of the invention especially convenient as afloor or cellar trap, we connect the discharge end of the pipe 1,leading from the drain (not shown) with a cylinder 2, near the lower endof the same, it being noted that the cylinder rises to a considerableheight above the floor 3. r

4 is a discharge pipe for and connected with the'cylinder in a planebelow that of the connection therewith of pipe 1, and said pipe 4extends upward to complete the trap, and terminates in the customarydrain pipe 5 leading directly to a sewer, not shown. The cylinder isprovided near its upper end with a water gage at- 6, and at such endwith a removable top 7, there being a gasket 8, interposed between theupper end of the cylinder and the top. Bolts 9 and clamping nuts 10clamp the gasket firmly between the cylinder and top so as to provide anair-tight joint therebetween.

11 is a valve casing screwed into the top 7 and 12 is the valve thereofand 13 a pipe leadin from the casing to a pump of any suitab e type. Thepump shown is a hand pump, 14, as in most installations a hand pump willbe employed.

When water is first run through the trap it will collect in pipes 1 and4 and in the cylinder tothe level of the bottom of drain pipe 5, andthen the valve is opened and the pump operated, additional water beingsupplied to the drain to take the place of that which is raised in thecylinder by the pumping operation. Eventually the cylinder is filled,and then the operation of the pump is stopped and the valve is closed tomaintain the head of water in the cylinder through atmospheric pressureon the'water in pipes 1 and 4, z. e., through the maintenance of avacuum above the water in the cylinder. With the cylinder thus standingfully charged with water, the. flowofa quantity of gasolene, forinstance, from a garage or a cleaning establishment, into the drain willresult in the discharge of an equal quantity of water from the trap, thegasolene rising to the top of the water in the cylinder as water escapesfrom the cylinder by way of pipe 4 and drain pipe 5, to the sewer. Thegasolene collects-eon .top of the water and the level of the latter canalways be determined by a glance at the gage. Should the gasolenecontain foreign matter of greater specific gravity than water, suchmatter will be precipitated and carried off through pipe 4. In passingup through the water to the top of the cylinder, the gaso lene isfurther clarified, as in such passage it is in effect washed by thewater. It will thus be apparent that dirt and other foreign matter whichgives the gasolene a brown or black appearance, is separated therefromwithin the cylinder, and that the clarified gasolene can be recovered,by starting up the pump and then opening the valve.

A trap of this character will be found serviceable in the recovery ofmany other liquids. For instance, it may be used as a cream or milkseparator, in which case the pipe 5 might lead to a suitable tankinstead of to a sewer. It will also be apparent that the principle ofconstruction involved may be utilized in the recovery of oils from acreek or other stream running through oil fields.

A device of this sort possesses another advantage in that it preventsgasolene and other volatile hydrocarbons entering and vaporizing insewers and making it hazardous to enter the same especially withtorches. Furthermore, by keeping gasolene and oil out of the sewers, iteliminates danger of-explosion therein through the throwing of a lightedcigar, cigarette or match into a street sewer as frequently occurs.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limitedto theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

We claim 1. A vacuum separating trap, comprising a liquid supply anddischarge means, and a receptacle rising above the level of said supplyand discharge means and communicating with both, and means for creatinga vacuum in the said receptacle to raise liquid therein above thehighest level which the liquid attains in its escape through saiddischarge means.

2. A vacuum separating trap, comprising a liquid supply and dischargemeans, a receptacle rising above the level of said supply and dischargemeans and communicat ing with both, a pump mechanism connected with thetop of said receptacle whereby to create a vacuum therein to raise thelevel of the liquid to the to of the receptacle, and means for controling communication between the interior of the receptacle and thevacuum-creating means.

3. A vacuum separating trap, comprising a liquid supply and dlschargemeans, a receptacle rising above the level of said supply and dischargemeans and communicating with both, means for raising the level of liquidin the receptacle above the plane of the supply and discharge means, andmeans to maintain the liquid in the receptacle at said raised level.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM F. COAKLEY. JOSIAH S. LEVENE.

Witnesses:

' HELEN C. RODGERS,

G. Y. THORPE.

